Advancing Knowledge, Developing Careers, and Strengthening Community Around Social Justice in C-L

The national outcry over police brutality against Black Americans, rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans, and racial disparities in healthcare laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic have given academic medicine a renewed urgency towards causes of social justice (1-2). Psychiatrists increasingly recognize how structural factors can negatively impact individuals’ psychiatric outcomes (3). However, social justice principles have not been fully operationalized within consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry, despite recent calls to do so (4-5). We believe that C-L psychiatry, given its embedded role within the general medical system, is uniquely positioned to apply social justice principles from a clinical and educational perspective.



This workshop will push attendees to operationalize social justice principles within C-L psychiatry. First, we will review key terms such as social determinants of health (SDOH) and structural competency (3). Then, through a series of case discussions, we will engage the audience in applying these social justice principles to psychiatric care of medically complex individuals. From a patient with IV heroin-related endocarditis requiring cardiac transplant, to an undocumented Guatemalan patient admitted for TBI, to a Black Haitian patient with schizophrenia hospitalized after being shot by the police, we will showcase how C-L clinical work can be reframed from a social justice perspective. We will detail specific ways to advance social justice in C-L psychiatry through clinical, research, and policy avenues. Lastly, we will present novel results from our national survey of C-L psychiatrists on social justice education, discussing implications for future C-L social justice curricula. We aim to move the conversation forward on advancing knowledge, developing careers, and strengthening the C-L community around social justice.

1. 
   Lopez III L et al. JAMA 2021;325(8):719-720.
   
   


2. 
   Yancy CW. JAMA 2020;324(5):435-436.
   
   


3. 
   Metzl JM and Hansen H. JAMA Psych 2018 Feb;75(2):115-116.
   
   


4. 
   Robinson et al. Psychosomatics 2020 Sept 20;62(1)-157-158.
   
   


5. 
   Vaughn and Amonoo. Psychosomatics Sept-Oct 2020;61(5):574-575.